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The Pearl and NW PortlandPortland's hip hub

First published 11 January 2022

Even if you doubled these 72 hours, you'd still be short by half in getting through the essential Pearl District and Northwest Portland. For a culture vulture, there is no better time spent than among the converted warehouses of Portland's booming downtown district and the boutique shopping in Northwest. Over these few days, you will take in Oregon history, sip your way through its coffee culture, find worldly cuisine made from local farms, hit one of the world's best bookstores, dive into the art scene and get your holiday shopping done along the way.

A good place to stay, and nicely located in the middle of your agenda, is the Inn at Northrup Station on NW Northrup Street at 20th Ave. It's easy walking to the vital areas of the Northwest and The Pearl. Further, the streetcar runs right past the hotel, west to 23rd on Northrup, and back east to 11th and Glisan in the heart of The Pearl.

Day One: Mad Hats / Monkeys / Belly-Dancers

The day starts early with a flaky pastry and good coffee. At 21st Avenue and Flanders is an Old-World treat under the roof of Ken's Artisan Bakery. A perfectly made croissant is très simple, and shows the experience and restraint of the classically trained baker, Ken Forkish.

Wander down the retail backbone of Northwest on 23rd Avenue and you will encounter everything from tattoo parlors to upscale restaurants and bars, as well as boutiques, bagelries, breweries, chocolatiers, and hatters such as the Goorin Bros. Nob Hill Hat Shop. Don't forget to stop at 3 Monkeys for vintage knick-knacks and novelties.

For lunch, duck inside the McMenamins Ram's Head on the corner of 23rd and Hoyt. The cozy atmosphere of a turn-of-the-century British parlour sits well with your Irish coffee. Shopping is, after all, an endurance sport that requires the pacing (and dampening) of expectations.

If you need a more tranquil outlet from shopping, take in the Japanese Garden on the near southwest side. Try to go on a weekday, when parking is easier. Don't take the trolley from the parking lot unless you're unable to make the mild and scenic uphill walk to the garden. It's a calming transition from the parking lot. There are five gardens over more than five acres, all of which make this redoubt a state treasure.

Whether you've retreated to the Japanese Garden or soldiered on shopping, you'll inevitably begin to think about dinner. For tasty Moroccan food with a visceral side dish, try Marrakesh and its traditional belly-dancers. The five-course prix fixe menu is a good way to experience the best of Marrakesh, with lamb, chicken or hare tagine, couscous, and daring pours of mint tea from waiters in Moroccan waistcoats and fez hats. If you want to stay on the Anglophile track, slip into North 45 Pub on 21st and Glisan. An upscale twist on a traditional English pub/bistro, North 45 is known for good pub grub, oysters and an eclectic list of beers, whiskeys and bourbons.

Day Two: Forest Park / Books / The Parish

For breakfast, take a quick sidetrip to St. Honoré on 23rd and Thurman for authentic French bread and pastry. You'll need energy for the day ahead.

Forest Park is an eight-mile-long urban reserve with trails for hiking and running. Most cities don't have a resource this big and this beautiful for getting out. Portland does. Start at Lower Macleay Park Trailhead at the end of Upshur Street and set your sights on making it all the way up Wildwood Trail to the historical Pittock Mansion, or knock off a lesser segment to get your blood pumping.

Before you dive into retail therapy, head right down to Powell's, one of the best bookstores on the planet, to find a novel and perhaps, a gift. Like New York's Strand Bookstore with eighteen miles of books, Powell's is the iconic bookseller and book-buyer with more than one million volumes in its 68,000 square feet. Get your afternoon coffee at Barista on 13th and Hoyt, ignore the day's news and crack the cover of your new Powell's pick.

For art lovers, The Pearl is an oyster farm. There is Elizabeth Leach, Froelick, Blackfish, Blue Sky and Bullseye, to name a few galleries. Hanging on the old brick walls of warehouses cum galleries of The Pearl, art feels like it is in the right space.

The Pearl is also a great place to expand your hedonistic horizons. Over on Everett Street, Teardrop Cocktail Lounge serves up tasty drinks with classic barmanship. Enter, the Art of Darkness, a cocktail that starts out like a Manhattan (Jim Beam and vermouth) and then takes a splash of a sweet Belgian beer. It's just the right libation to perk up for the ongoing shopping.

Dinner in The Pearl is a happy conundrum. There's Vietnamese (Silk), Japanese (Hiroshi), Peruvian (Andina), Italian (Fratelli), Mediterranean (Blue Hour) and American brasserie (Paragon). The Parish is an upscale Cajun/Creole restaurant and oyster bar on 11th Avenue. The menu is full of flavor from the best of New Orleans' French Quarter--- chicken-fried quail, braised frog legs, duck gumbo and shrimp étouffée. Even the elusive bottle of Sancerre makes the wine list at The Parish.

Day Three: Run / Shop / Caffeinate

No man is an island ... unless he eats and drinks enough to become one. For your final day in the city, combine exercise with sightseeing and run the bridges spanning the Willamette River. Kids can keep up on bikes and join the cycling tradition of one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country. Run down to the waterfront and cross to the east side on the Steel Bridge, south to the Hawthorne Bridge and back up the waterfront.

Head back to the Pearl for breakfast. There's Byways Cafe, a good greasy spoon on 12th and Glisan.

Save the most dangerous part for last. A wife in West Elm rearranges her house many times over, room by room, while contemplating new options. The dyslexic in me rearranges the letters to spell Stew Me. To keep a balance in the family and on your credit card, this is a good time to slip away to REI and Patagonia, where there are always savings to reap.

Before getting back on the train, find a good afternoon cup of coffee at Sisters Coffee Company in The Pearl. A modern Western theme in the midst of the post-industrial Pearl seems a culturally appropriate way to transition back out of Portland.

Explore Portland

What to Do

  • See a performance at Center Stage Theater at The Armory
  • Lose yourself for hours at Powell's Books
  • Browse the many art galleries of The Pearl District
  • Take in Old Town Chinatown

Where to Eat

Where to Stay